As we approach the business end of this year's BETMGM Premier League, Luke Littler appears to be hitting form at just the right time as he won his second night in a row. On an evening which included high averages, crowd trouble and a nine dart finish, it's fair to say Manchester's AO Arena played host to a lively night of arrows...
Littler wasn't the only local lad competing last night, as Stockport's very own Nathan Aspinall kicked off against Rob Cross. In the match, it was 'The Asp who would break first in the fifth leg. From here on in he never really looked back against a struggling Cross and closed out the match 6-3. This was followed by, on paper, the match of the quarter finals, as Luke Littler got an incredible reception from the crowd against Michael van Gerwen. Playing in his home city, there was perhaps more pressure on Littler's young shoulders than he's used to, however he never showed this on stage, dispatching MVG 6-3.
Read more: Premier League night 9 review: Will Luke Littler reach the top four for finals night?
Michael Smith went in as the underdog against World Champ, Luke Humphries, however if you watched the match you wouldn't have thought it. Humphries didn't hit a double until the fourth leg of the match, prompting a sarcastic celebration from the world number one. He did manage to win a few legs back but it was too little too late against an impressive 'Bully Boy', who won 6-3. The last quarter was between Gerwyn Price and Peter Wright, who sit seventh and eighth in the table respectively. However, the battle to avoid the wooden spoon actually turned out to be the highest quality match of the night, with Price averaging 107 and Wright, 109. Unfortunately for Wright, 'The Iceman' was just marginally more clinical on the doubles and won the match 6-4, but 'Snakebite' can take confidence from the fact he's competing again.
It was a wholesome start to the semi finals, as good friends Luke Littler and Nathan Aspinall sang Mr Brightside during Aspinall's walk-on, along with 11,000 other Mancunians. In the match itself, Littler managed to break first in the fifth leg and proved to be just too good on the day for 'The Asp', winning the match 6-4. The camaraderie and respect between the two players before, during and after the match was refreshing to see.
In the penultimate match of the night, Gerwyn Price won the first two legs against Michael Smith then followed this up in the third with a nine dart finish. It was the third perfect leg "The Iceman' has thrown in his Premier League career, equalling none other than Phil Taylor's record. From here on in, there was only one winner as Price beat Smith 6-3. 'Bully Boy', as ever, was gracious in defeat, applauding the Welshman's incredible performance. Unfortunately, the respect being shown on the stage wasn't being replicated in the stands as footage has since emerged of a mass brawl in the crowd during Price's nine darter.
Read more: 2024 German Darts Grand Prix: Luke Humphries marvellous in Munich triumph
Crowd trouble had really put a dampener on what was an otherwise memorable evening of darts, but there was still the final to go between Littler and Price. In the match, Price didn't look the same player as he was against Wright and Smith, having nowhere near the same accuracy around the treble 20. Littler, on the other hand, looked like a man on a mission and won the match 6-3. 'The Nuke' later went on to say what fired him up was Manchester United's late defeat to Chelsea, so Price won't be thanking Cole Palmer for that any time soon. As for 'The Iceman', he latterly criticised the crowd stating on Instagram his final against Littler was "spoilt before a darts was even thrown."
After finally getting the first win monkey off his back last week, Luke Littler has really kicked on and has now overtaken Humphries, who has went for an early bath two weeks running. The table is also looking a lot more promising for Gerwyn Price than it did a few weeks ago, could the Welshman be making a late charge to the playoffs?
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